LETTER: Please invest in your community

Frankly, I am weary of the rhetoric, the math, the show of bad manners and distrust shown as a result of the upcoming school referendum and would like citizens to consider looking at the issue differently.

It is a fact that, if passed, this referendum will result in higher property taxes for all of us. We all need to remember that the tax increase will also affect those families who can least afford it. What if we all looked at this in an investment in the future of this community? Unlike the little return you see on other investments, this one is a no-brainer. Our kids (yes, they are all our kids) deserve the best we can give them. Have you spent any time with an engaging young person lately? Have you visited a classroom? I challenge you to attend any choir or band concert. Wow, they are amazing! I think you would be immediately taken by these bright, eager and thoroughly enjoyable young citizens. They deserve our investment!

The community deserves our investment. We are seeing an emergence of more people willing to engage in community activities. How exciting would it be to see more people willing to volunteer their time to a community cause? A Vote Yes says to me that more of you are willing to step up and help give our kids a community to take pride in. We are all part of the “village” it takes to raise a child.

Your homes and neighborhoods deserve your investment. We ll need to realize that there will be a time that return on our home investments becomes a crucial issue. When that time comes, a strong community with a strong and healthy school system will give us all a better return because we chose to invest in our kids andcommunity.